Various portable lighting devices, including flashlights, are known in the art. Such lighting devices typically include one or more batteries having positive and negative electrodes. The batteries may be arranged electrically in series or parallel in a battery compartment or housing.
An electrical circuit is established from a battery electrode through conductive means which are electrically coupled to an electrode of a light source, such as a light emitting diode (“LED”) or other type of lamp bulb. After passing through the light source, the electric circuit continues through a second electrode of the light source in electrical contact with conductive means, which in turn are in electrical contact with the other electrode of a battery. The circuit includes a switch to open or close the circuit. Actuation of the switch to close the electrical circuit enables current to pass through the lamp bulb, LED or other light source thereby generating light.
Some advanced portable lighting devices provide multiple modes of operation for different needs. For example, in addition to a typical full power or standard power mode, some advanced flashlights may include a power reduction mode, a blink or strobe mode, an SOS mode, a momentary mode and/or other mode(s). The group of different operating modes provided by a particular lighting device may be referred to as the user interface in that the user may interface with the lighting device to select one of the available operating modes.
Such portable lighting devices typically include a main power switch, such as a button that may be pressed down by the user. Such lighting devices may also include additional electronics such as an electronic switch that may provide power to the LED or other light source, a microcontroller or microprocessor that is coupled to the electronic switch and that is programmed to close the electronic switch to provide power to and illuminate the LED or other light source according to the desired operating mode, e.g., dimmer for power save mode, and the dot/dot/dot-dash/dash/dash pattern for an SOS mode.
With such portable lighting devices such as a flashlight, the user may select the desired mode of operation from the user interface by manipulating the flashlight in certain manners. For example, the main power switch may be pressed and held down for a certain amount of time or pressed down a certain number of instances to select a different mode. As another example, the body of the flashlight may be rotated and/or pointed in a particular direction to select or vary a particular mode.
In such portable lighting devices, the user interface typically provides a certain number of pre-determined operating modes, and the user may manipulate the lighting device, e.g., by pressing on the main power switch in a particular manner, to select between these different modes. For example, where a portable lighting device such as a flashlight provides a full power mode, power save mode, blink or strobe mode, SOS mode, or momentary mode, the main power switch may be pressed down for a certain length of time or a certain number of instances to select any of these modes.
An issue that may exist with multi-mode portable electronic lighting devices of the type described above is that the operational modes provided by a particular user interface may not be desirable for every user. For example, typical consumers may prefer an SOS mode for safety purposes when seeking help. However, law enforcement users may prefer a “momentary” mode where the LED or other light source is illuminated only while the main power switch is pressed down and the light turns off when no longer pressed. This mode is useful where the law enforcement user wants to quickly turn the light on and off or wants it off if the flashlight is dropped (as opposed to turning the light on with a “latch” mode where the switch is “latched” into an “on” position, but then must be un-latched to turn the light off).
If the user interface provides an SOS mode but not a momentary mode, the lighting device may be favored more by consumers than law enforcement users. Conversely, if the user interface provides a momentary mode but not an SOS mode, the lighting device may be favored more by law enforcement users than consumers. Accordingly, because lighting devices such as flashlights are used for a variety of purposes and by a variety of people, including both ordinary consumers and law enforcement officers, a need exists for a portable lighting device, such as a flashlight, in which the user interface may be reconfigured so that different modes may be accessed by a user (or different users) according to a user's particular needs.
Another issue that may exist with the above-described multi-mode lighting devices arises where the different modes of operation provided by the user interface are arranged in a set sequence. Where this is the case, in order to select a certain mode, the user may need to index through all the modes that precede the desired mode. If a user interface provides a number of modes, it may become cumbersome for a particular user to index through a number of modes to arrive at the desired mode. This may be especially so where the modes most often used by the user are late in the sequence and/or are not next to each other in the sequence. In other words, the user interface may not be optimally designed for the user's pattern of use. Accordingly, a need exists for a portable lighting device in which the user interface may be selected, reconfigured, or changed, in order to provide the modes of operation optimally suited for the user's pattern of use. Another need exists for the user to be able to select a particular mode without having to index through the preceding modes of the given user interface.
Another issue may arise with certain multi-mode electronic portable lighting devices when the lighting device is dropped such that the batteries are temporarily dislodged and power is momentarily cut off. In certain multi-mode flashlights, this brief interruption in power may signal to the lighting device that a different mode has been selected. This may create a dangerous situation, for example, where the user needs constant light but the lighting device has switched to a blink or strobe mode. Accordingly, a need exists for a lighting device which may distinguish between intended and unintended power interruptions to avoid potentially dangerous situations. A need also exists for a lighting device in which different modes may be selected without the lighting device being turned off for an appreciable amount of time.